La Crosse still fighting for more passenger trains

Amtrak study says doubling stops possible

La Crosse isn’t giving up on getting more passenger train service.  

LADCO director Jim Hill has been campaigning for both high-speed passenger rail and for increased runs by the Empire Builder train through La Crosse.

During a round-table discussion in La Crosse on Thursday with U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold, Hill said support for more train service by the business community is high.

“One of the main reasons we were successful in WWII is the transportation capability and infrastructural logistics that the U.S. created,” Hill said. “Sixteen million people came back from that war. They understood what happened. And we had bi-partisan transportation policy for the next 50 years.”

A year ago, a study by Amtrak concluded that the idea of doubling the number of daily stops in La Crosse was possible. The study said more information might be needed before the schedule could be increased.